Stargazing off of Bridges
by Mikauzoran
Summary: Sera keeps running into a melancholy young man who looks up at the stars and down into the water late at night on the bridges of Tokyo. A cheerful young woman keeps turning up to solve his problems just when Hakuba needs her the most.


Mikau: Hello everyone! This is my entry for Poirot Café's Contest 25: Space. It's been a while since I did any HakuSera, so this was fun. I really have come to love this pairing, and I absolutely adore Sera. Special thanks (again) to dogfish44 for introducing me to the pairing forevers ago. Enjoy the fic, guys!

Disclaimer: If I owned it, there would be more original pairings than everyone having a childhood friend. Take Hakuba and Sera, for instance. They've never met in the series, but they're awfully cute together, yeah?

…

Stargazing off of Bridges

It was about two o'clock in the morning when Sera Masumi finally started her trek back to the hotel for the night. She'd been out stalking a cheating girlfriend at a client's behest, and this had turned out to involve four bars, two fights that Sera had nearly been a part of, and one completely unsolicited, totally undesired lap dance from the cheating girlfriend herself.

Apparently Sera's "male college student" disguise was very convincing (or the woman was very drunk...or actually interested in other women) because her client's girlfriend invited her back to her apartment for a sleepover after the song ended.

And that was a wrap. Sera had all the evidence she needed, so she politely turned the woman down and began her trudge home.

As she crossed the bridge a few streets over from the one her temporary home was situated upon, she happened to notice a young foreign man who physically looked as weary as she mentally felt. He was looking out over the edge, down at the water, running a hand through his hair furiously.

Masumi couldn't make out if he were extremely frazzled or just trying to get the confetti out. (It was raining down like dandruff as he moved his hand back and forth vigorously.)

The whole scene seemed kind of off, so she stopped and watched him for a little while.

He didn't appear to notice her as he continued to brush off the glitter and bits of streamer that had fallen from his hair onto his rumpled, tawny brown suit. After a while, he gave up his attempts to tidy his appearance and stared up at the night's sky, off into space. He stayed like that for some time.

Masumi was about to move along when the boy—for he was only just about her age. It was generally hard to tell with foreigners, but she had had some practice during her years in the States—looked back down at the inky black water below and started muttering to himself. Numbers. Trajectory, height, speed, factor in wind.

He leaned out over the railing, observing, taking measurements with his eyes and plugging them into his calculations.

And then he stopped, leaned back, and looked up at the stars one last time, a bittersweet smile clinging to his lips. Next he closed his eyes, bowed his head, folded his hands, and began to mutter under his breath—Sera could barely read "Hail Mary" on his lips.

She frowned, deciding at once to approach because this just looked _wrong_.

"Good evenin'!" she called out cheerfully in near perfect American English. "Everything all right? Ya look a little…distressed."

The young man gave a start and stared at her in a bit of a panic until she registered as: "has feet = not a ghost", "human male", "Japanese with American accent", "hopefully not a deranged killer?", "Kid?", "cigarette smoke + alcohol smell but not drunk + sweat + faint scent of perfume = club".

"Good evening," he replied with a hint of a British accent that only got more apparent as he continued. "Thank you for your concern, but everything is fine, I assure you." And he turned back towards the railing, hoping she would go away and not pull a knife on him.

Sera chose not to take the hint. "Whatcha doin'?" She prompted, bellying up to the railing beside him.

"Stargazing," he sighed in Japanese. "I'm trying to locate the Hydra constellation."

She blinked. Because what foreigner had a vocabulary like that? "Your Japanese is awesome!" She slipped back into her mother tongue and tried to be encouraging.

His expression soured, and he grumbled, "Yes. So is yours, but I doubt anyone ever thinks to comment upon it."

Her mouth dropped open as his words hit her like a foul ball.

His face flushed in shame as he caught himself, and his gaze dropped back into the water, his shoulders hunching up as he whispered, "Forgive me. You have no idea how many times someone's told me my English is good or asked me if it's my first visit to Tokyo. You all mean well, but it just feels like mockery to me because you look at me and see 'other'. It just drives home the point that I don't belong."

Masumi stifled a gasp as she realized the young "foreigner" was actually Japanese. She resisted the urge to exclaim, "You're a half!" for fear the term might offend him and instead muttered a genuine, "I'm sorry. And I'm sorry you get that a lot."

He shrugged, venturing to look up at the sky once more.

She pursed her lips, fishing for something to say that would lift the mood. "But, you know…I bet there's at least one person in your life that sees past your physical appearance and accepts you as part of their group. I mean…I'm not saying it right, but…you know what I mean? There's _somewhere_ where you belong with _someone_ , right?"

The blonde picked a stray piece of streamer out of his hair and begrudgingly smiled. "Yes. I have to admit, you're not wrong."

He paused and looked up at her, really scrutinizing her face. "Are you...?"

She froze as he leaned in and reached out towards her as if he might touch her cheek.

But then he stopped, lowering his hand and shaking his head. "No. Forgive me. You couldn't be him. He knows how I feel about people commenting on my language skills. He would never…" He broke off, realizing he was speaking aloud and not making much sense to his audience. "Never mind." And his gaze returned to the heavens.

A melancholy silence fell between them, leaving Sera at a loss as to how she could ensure that no harm came to this young man standing glumly so close to the edge of the bridge.

A faint glimmer in the sky caught her eye, and she grinned. "Look! That's it, isn't it?"

He blinked, searching the area where she was pointing. "What's it?"

"The Hydra constellation. Over there in the south!" She jabbed emphatically. "You said you were looking for it?"

"I did, didn't I?" He smiled bashfully, scratching the back of his neck.

He was kind of cute.

Pushing the thought from her mind, Masumi fixed her attention on the field of stars stretching out before her. "They're really gorgeous, aren't they? So bright…and so many!"

He gave a little snort, but it wasn't unkind. "You've only ever lived in the city, haven't you?"

She gave him a sidelong glance of suspicion. "How did you know that?"

"Because the night's sky in the middle of Tokyo is dim, barren, and totally uninspiring due to the heavy light pollution. But you don't know that because you've never seen how majestic it looks out in the countryside."

Sera pursed her lips and grumbled, "Awfully negative, aren't ya?" She snuck another look up at the beautiful celestial bodies twinkling above. "Just because one thing isn't as good as something else, that doesn't mean that it completely lacks value. I still think Tokyo's sky is awe-inspiring even if it doesn't shine as bright."

He nodded in concession, unwilling to argue. "I'm just spoiled because I grew up in the English countryside."

"I'll have to look up at night next time I'm out in the boonies," Sera hummed. "I bet you're right. I bet it's absolutely amazing out there."

He gave another little nod, this time in agreement. "It truly is a humbling experience, looking out at the other worlds beyond our own. It makes you feel so small."

He smiled sadly, gazing back down at the dark water below them. "It makes me feel lost in it all. There's so much out there, and here I am, tiny and insignificant. In the grand scheme of things, I don't really matter at all. If something as grand and spectacular as one of those stars can flicker out and go unobserved…who would notice if…"

He stopped and shook his head, coming back from the edge. "Staring down that kind of magnificence just makes me feel like a waste of space, is all."

Sera took a slow, steadying breath and replied, "I should think it would make you feel more important."

"How so?" he scoffed.

"I mean, so far, out of everywhere scientists have studied, Earth is the only place with life like there is here. And out of all those species, only humans are capable of philosophy and innovation. And out of all the people that ever were or ever will be, you're the only one like you—utterly unique." She paused briefly before driving her point home. "And I think _someone_ would notice if you were to flicker out like a star. By your own admission, there's at least one person in your life that considers you part of their 'in group', so…what do you think?"

He sighed, pulling back from the railing and smiling despite himself. He raked another handful of confetti out of his hair and replied, "I think maybe I am a tad too negative after all. And I think I had better get home, otherwise I'm liable to fall asleep in class tomorrow."

He thought for a moment and then added sincerely, "Thank you for stopping to talk to me. It meant a great deal."

And with a grateful smile and a courteous bow, he turned and went, heading towards the station where he'd be sure to catch a cab now that the trains had stopped running.

Sera watched him go until he turned the corner, and then she went her own way, eager to shower and sleep so as to avoid snoozing through her own classes the following day.

She checked the papers over the next few weeks, looking through the deaths for the handsome young man, but, happily, she found no trace of him there.

She completely missed the article on Thursday's page three: Detective Hakuba comes close, but Kid slips through his fingers yet again!

…

It was a little over a month later at the end of the school year that Sera met with the young man yet again.

Again, it was at night, and, again, on a bridge, but this time it was closer to midnight and clear on the other side of Beika from where they had first met.

Once more he was staring forlornly, up at the sky and then down at the water, as if he couldn't decide which depressed him more.

Masumi didn't stop to observe or consider this time. She walked right up to him, leaning on the railing and cheerfully greeting, "You really like stargazing off of bridges, don't you?"

The blonde jumped and then took a moment to process. She was surprised at how quickly recognition came into his eyes, though. Not five seconds passed before he exclaimed, "It's you again!" and then a quizzical, "How did you find me?"

Sera managed not to blush as she chuckled, "It must be fate. I was just passing through on my way home from a sempai's graduation party when I saw you. What are you up to?"

He looked fatigued again, but his clothes weren't disheveled this time, and there wasn't a trace of confetti on his person.

He shook his head. "There was a murder at tonight's heist, so I was just giving my statement down at the station."

Her brow furrowed as she studied him. Taking into account that he'd just been a part of a murder investigation, that he'd witnessed a death and had to undergo questioning by the police, he didn't look as haggard as most usually did.

She frowned. "You'll have to forgive me for saying so, but you don't look very affected by the ordeal. Do you have some experience with murder investigations? I mean, usually someone sees someone else get murdered, it's a big deal."

He smiled ruefully down at the water. "I suppose I _have_ grown rather callous, haven't I? It's because I'm a detective," he explained. "Though, theft is more my specialty. I couldn't stomach murder day in and day out like some people do…but I have gotten rather jaded about the whole process."

She nodded somberly, understanding better than he could know. She was just about to tell him so when he looked up at her hopefully.

"Perhaps you've heard of me? Hakuba Saguru. I have quite the reputation in Europe…" Suddenly his face fell. "Though, I'm afraid here I only have a reputation for being humiliated by the Kaitou Kid."

Sera pursed her lips and lied, "The name does sound familiar. I think I've read about you in the paper before, but I generally don't follow the Kid stuff unless Conan-kun is involved, and that's really only a passing glance, so…"

"Yes," Hakuba sighed. "Most people are more familiar with Edogawa-kun."

She bit the inside of her cheek and tried to ameliorate the situation. "Hey, don't feel bad. I mean, I've solved plenty of cases here, and I don't think I've appeared in the paper once for it."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You're a detective too?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "I'm Sera—though I'm positive you've never heard of me."

He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. No." And he really did look sorry.

She shrugged. "No big. I know I do good work, and that's what's important. I don't need the fame and the fangirls to know I'm a good detective."

"I wish I had your confidence," Saguru sighed. "Or maybe I just wish I were a better detective. After all, I do keep getting beat out by an eight year-old."

"Nah. Don't worry about it," Sera assured, clapping him on the back. "Conan-kun's one of those freaks of nature that the rest of us can't be expected to keep up with. He runs circles around me—and the rest of humanity—all the time. Start doubting yourself when Nakamori-keibu out-deduces you, but don't put yourself down over Conan-kun stealing a win."

Hakuba frowned, processed, and finally accepted her philosophy. "You speak a great deal of good sense. I should come to you with my problems more often. You make such quick work of problems that plague me for months."

Sera gave an open-armed shrug and a smug grin. "What can I say? I'm a bit of a guru."

There was a beat, and a more serious expression took over her face. "All joking aside, though. What's eatin' ya tonight, Hakuba-kun?"

He sighed heavily, shaking his head like he thought it was stupid and didn't want her thinking _he_ was stupid for worrying about such things.

"Come on. I promise I won't laugh or anything," she urged. "And if you don't tell me, I'll annoy it out of you because I'm confident in my ability to be annoying longer than you can tolerate it. I'm really good at being obnoxious."

"You'd be surprised at my stamina," he chuckled. "I have a great deal of experience with 'annoying' from someone who knows where all of my buttons are. I should hardly think you'd be able to do better than him."

Saguru bit his lip, seriously considering her. "But…" He looked away, up at the stars where Scorpius was hanging low in the Southeast. "I don't see why I shouldn't tell you. You helped me immensely before," he confessed.

She held her breath and listened intently, nodding to encourage him on.

"I'm just going through a bit of a rough patch," Hakuba mumbled, running a hand through his hair. "Kid keeps thrashing me, and an eight year-old genius perpetually makes me look bad. It wears on one's morale…and I never had much self-esteem to start with." His eyes seemed to lose focus for a moment as his downward spiraling thoughts consumed him.

He shook his head and faced her. "I was just thinking about life and my purpose when you came up to me. I know you said that I really shouldn't worry until Nakamori-keibu starts outwitting me, that I shouldn't let Edogawa-kun's skill diminish my own confidence, but…" He bit his lip, trying to explain the anguish he felt. "I wonder if I'm really not suited to detective work after all. I mean, I don't seem to be going anywhere, and…" He sighed, giving up mid-thought.

"Are you having success in your cases that don't involve Kid and Conan-kun?" she inquired gently, trying to be sensitive.

He blinked, thought about it for a moment, and then replied, "You know, I haven't really been doing much besides Kid the past year or so. The few cases that I've dealt with…Edogawa-kun has been present for a lot of them." He chewed on his lip as he rolled these facts around in his mind. "But…I don't seem to have any trouble with cases not involving Kid or Edogawa-kun. It's just that there have been so few; Kid does tend to monopolize my dance card."

"That's probably your problem," Sera pointed out. "You're a good enough detective, but you're just not quite on par with Kid and Conan-kun." Realizing her words sounded too harsh for her downtrodden companion, she quickly backpedaled. "That's not to say that you won't _ever_ catch Kid or get the better of Conan-kun, but—! It's just probably going to be awhile before either of them slips up, so…maybe you should make more time in your schedule for non-Kid cases. That might bolster your confidence a little. After all, it's gotta be tough, always getting your face handed to you when you're trying so hard. Anyone would crack under those circumstances."

He nodded as he considered her words. "You may actually have a point. I only ever fail when those two are involved. Otherwise, my success rate is quite impressive."

"And as for feeling like you're not going anywhere," she added while she was on a roll. "You're only, like, what? Eighteen? I know a lot of The Greats got started young, but there's still time for you. You're not old or washed up by any means. You could still be the next Sherlock Holmes. Maybe it's just a matter of finding the right branch of detective work for you. I mean, I'm sure dealing with Kid is…" She had to force a smile as she remembered her own singular run-in with Kid. "…a lot of fun, but…do you really want to be the next Nakamori-keibu?"

Hakuba shuddered. "Absolutely not." He gave her a faint smile and weakly chuckled, "I really do need a pocket-sized version of you that I can pull out to talk sense into me. You're quite good at this."

She smiled warmly, the thought of how cute he was impressing itself upon her yet again. "I'm really glad I was able to help."

"As am I," he agreed in a low, solemn voice, a meaningful smile spreading across his lips. And then his tone and expression lightened. "And maybe while you're here, you can help me rethink my life plan, since catching thieves has fallen through and murder isn't really my forte. Am I to become the Meitantei of Lost Cats, I suppose?" His smile turned rueful.

"Come on." She gave his shoulder a friendly nudge. "It's just Kid that you struggle with, right? That doesn't mean you couldn't still work White Collar or something. And you _can_ solve murders, even if it isn't your favorite. Just because you're having trouble with Kid, that doesn't mean that your only recourse is to banish yourself to some police box to get cats out of trees and give tourists directions." She rolled her eyes playfully at his defeatist attitude. "We have to work on your negativity, Hakuba-kun."

He pursed his lips but mumbled his assent. "I suppose you're right."

"And there's gotta be something that you enjoy, something that you're good at. Everyone has an area where they shine," she mused, trying to come up with other options for him.

He snorted. "Not I."

"Don't start," she scolded. "There's something, and I know it. Everyone has _something_. Now tell me what you're good at."

He shifted uncomfortably and shook his head.

"Come on," Sera insisted. "Tell me why you're awesome."

He flat out laughed at this. "Sera-kun, I am far from awesome. I'm merely a nerd playing dress up as my fictional idol."

"And I bet all of the other nerds envy you," she retorted. "Because you're actually succeeding as a detective whereas all they can do is play pretend. Now, you said you had a reputation in Europe, so go on and brag a little bit. Tell me what you're good at."

He stared at her for a solid thirty seconds, thinking about what she had said. Finally he realized, "You're right."

"Of course I am," she snorted proudly, hands going to her hips in triumph.

"I _am_ a real detective," he chuckled to himself. "I'd been so busy having my confidence ripped to shreds by Kid that I'd forgotten about all of that. I've succeeded in the past, so there's no reason why I might not do it again."

"There ya go," she prompted softly, glad to see she was getting through to him.

He turned to her and smiled, gripping both of her hands in his own.

Her heart skipped as he looked deep into her eyes and gave her a heartfelt thank you. "You have no idea what you've done for me, Sera-kun. I can never thank you enough."

"I'm just glad I could help," she chuckled giddily, cheeks flushing.

He squeezed her hands and smiled wider. "Well, I've taken enough of your time, and I must be getting home. There's a lot I need to do tomorrow. Good night, Sera-kun. I'm blessed to have met you."

And before she could say anything, he was off with a sense of purpose in his step…leaving her heart fluttering.

…

It was only about a week and a half later that she saw his picture in the paper—a small article at the bottom of the first page about how he had foiled a local group's attempt to defraud seniors of their retirement savings.

The week after that, he scored an entire page on his involvement in stopping a gang of jewel thieves hitting up boutiques in Shibuya and Shinjuku.

Masumi cut out the articles and saved them. The pictures were surprisingly good quality. Even though they had been taken candidly, Hakuba-kun was very photogenic.

…

Mild May was giving way to sticky, rainy June of their final year of high school. Like most days that month, a soft, steady drizzle was falling, but Masumi didn't let it phase her as she walked home from school with Ran and Sonoko and Conan-kun, chatting brightly with the girls about the buffet where they were on their way to get dinner.

"I hear they have cream puffs the size of your fist!" Sonoko trilled as they crossed over the little stone bridge by the shrine a block away from their school.

"Just be careful you don't eat too many," Ran teased, puffing out her cheeks.

"Oh, you!" Sonoko snorted, playfully swatting her best friend.

Masumi was about to announce her intent to eat at least two herself when she spotted a familiar figure on the bridge ahead of them. "H-Hakuba-kun?"

The young man turned, and the features which had been partially obscured by his umbrella because fully visible. It was indeed Hakuba Saguru, smiling in delight at her.

"Sera-kun!" He greeted much more brightly than usual.

This relieved Masumi immensely. When she'd first seen him leaning on yet another bridge railing by himself, she'd worried that something new had gone awry, throwing him back into the depths of depression.

But his grin slowly faded into a baffled expression as he looked at her, taking in her school uniform—blazer and…skirt.

She didn't notice the direction of his gaze, only the confusion on his features. She stepped forward and inquired, "What's wrong? You look like you've just seen someone sprout a second head."

He shook his head, returning his eyes to her face, and it was like he was seeing her for the first time. "Sorry. It's nothing really. I just…" He faltered, trying to get a grasp on his thoughts. "I'm sorry, Sera-kun—Sera- _san_ , rather—I…" He gulped and managed to look her in the eye, his face going utterly crimson. "I hadn't realized I'd been successfully conversing with a woman this whole time."

Sera smiled wryly. "It's okay. It happens more often than you would think."

"I'm terribly sorry," he apologized again, feeling horribly dense and utterly relieved at the same time. Arguably, the fact that she was a girl made his life easier…unless she liked other women.

"It's all right. I guess now we're even for me thinking you were a foreigner." She shrugged it off, telling herself it wouldn't happen so much if she wore more feminine clothing until her chest developed, as she was sure it would.

"You two know each other?" Ran broke in during the momentary lull, stepping forward with Sonoko and Conan in tow.

"Ran-san. What a surprise!" Hakuba turned to greet and bow to each of the three others in turn.

"Yeah." Sera frowned. "Hakuba-kun and I have run into each other a couple times and started talking, but how do you guys know him?"

"Kid heists, mostly," Saguru supplied.

Masumi nodded politely. That made sense, but…somehow she felt a little jealous that her two pretty companions were also acquaintances of Hakuba's.

She pushed the thoughts away, turning her attention back to Saguru. "So what are you doing out here in Beika today? There aren't any stars to look at in the middle of an evening shower."

His face flushed once more, and he squirmed as he admitted, "I was actually hoping to run into you."

"Me?" She blinked, utterly taken aback.

He gulped and nodded, continuing shyly. "I thought we could…well, I wanted to maybe speak with you more regularly, so…I may have asked around the station to find out what school you attended. I deduced the direction you might take home based on the directions you were heading on our previous two meetings, and…well…"

"How romantic!" Sonoko exclaimed, snickering openly. "Love at first sight leads a young man to desperately search Tokyo for the woman who stole his heart!"

"Sonoko," Ran chided even as she softly laughed at Hakuba and Sera's reddening faces.

"He thought I was a guy!" Masumi exclaimed at the same time Hakuba protested that, "I only wished to invite her to coffee!"

"Well, why don't you start off by coming with us to get dinner?" Ran kindly suggested to make up for Sonoko's facetious comments. "And then you can exchange numbers and make plans to meet for coffee over the weekend. How does that sound?"

Hakuba looked back and forth between the young women as he stuttered, "I mean, only if it's really all right. I don't wish to intrude. I—" His eyes met Masumi's and got stuck as his blush deepened.

"I'd like that a lot," Sera assured. "I've been wanting to meet with you again too."

Saguru smiled self-consciously, running a hand through his hair. "O-Oh? Oh. Good. I'm glad."

And Sonoko teased them throughout the rest of the evening.

The

End


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